The 224 Corridor Democratic Club is having its “Public Servants Serving Pasta” fundraiser from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at St. Anthony’s Society Hall, 100 Lowellville Road in Struthers.

Several local and Mahoning County elected officials will serve pasta at the event. Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased at the door. Also, carry-out is available.

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, and Glenn Thompson of Howard Township, Pa., R-5th, have introduced the Veterans Wellness Act of 2017 that would bring mental healthcare to veterans by establishing a two-year grant program to provide those programs at Veterans Service Organizations.

“This grant funding will support integrative wellness programs, including yoga and meditation, which help tackle anxiety, and ease PTSD symptoms,” Ryan said.

Medical marijuana is coming to Ohio and it’s big business.

How big? I listened to five groups present proposals earlier this week to grow medical marijuana just in the city of Youngstown and three of them mentioned $10 million in terms of their investments as if it was nothing.

The state will probably announce in September – though it could take a little longer – the 24 groups that will get cultivation licenses to grow medical marijuana.

Of those 24, half will be for Level 1 growers for up to 25,000 square feet of growing space with the potential expansion of up to 75,000 square feet, and 12 Level 2 growers for up to 3,000 square feet of space for marijuana to potentially expand to 6,000 square feet.

If Youngstown alone has four groups interested in Level 1 licenses and one group wanting a Level 2 license, imagine how many groups will seek permission to grow when the state accepts applications.

Pennsylvania received more than 500 applications for medical-marijuana growing and dispensing